China cuts 40 minutes from Tom Hanks movie Cloud Atlas, a third of the film

CHINESE authorities cut 40 minutes from the US epic movie Cloud Atlas, state-run media said after its domestic premiere - almost a quarter of the film.

The reports came soon after cuts to the latest James Bond movie Skyfall, released this week in China, prompted public frustration and even oblique criticism in official media.

Cloud Atlas ran for 172 minutes in the original version shown in the US. But by the time China's State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) had finished its work, it was little more than two hours long.

"The Cloud Atlas showing in China is about 130 minutes, with nearly 40 minutes deleted," said the Xiaoxiang Morning Post, based in the central province of Hunan.

Some deleted scenes included nudity, it said, while Zhejiang province's Today Morning Express listed other removals that it said weakened the theme or confused the plot.

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Comments on this story

Barry of Sydney Posted at 10:08 AM January 24, 2013

Knowing the censorship laws in Australia, I think we'll probably get the same copy.

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